portfoliotom lanclus

tom lanclus˚19.06.1992

Wurfelderweg 27, B-3680 MaaseikBondgenotenlaan 82, B-3000 Leuven

+32 497 24 13 67tom.lanclus@gmail.com

2012-2014 Master of Science in Engineering Science: Architecture [option Urban Project] KULeuven, University of Leuven Department of Architecture, Urbanism and Planning [ASRO] Graduation: June 2014 [cum laude]

2009-2012 Bachelor of Science in Engineering Science: Architecture KULeuven, University of Leuven Department of Architecture, Urbanism and Planning [ASRO] Graduation: June 2012 [cum fructu]

2003-2009 Secondary Education: Greek-Science College Heilig Kruis - Sint Ursula, Maaseik

2014 Workshop Gaza©Jordan Design perspectives in the frame of UNRWA’s Camp Improvement Program. w/ UNRWA [United Nations, Jordan] , ASRO [KULeuven], WIT-architecten and others. February 5-10th, 2014

2013 UNRWA internship Jordan Fieldwork, mappings and spatial readings on Gaza camp, Jerash, Jordan. August - October 2013 Workshop Gaza camp September 20-22th, 2013 Amman, Jordan

2013 Student lecture Quintessence: a fifth entity in-between. STUK, Leuven

2013 Hatching Temporary installation in collaboration with Gijs Van Vaerenbergh ExistenzWeek, Stella Bottelarij, Leuven March 18-21th, 2013

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Languages Dutch[mother tongue]: ++++ English: +++ French: ++ German: + Graphic Software Adobe Photoshop: ++++ Adobe Illustrator: +++ Adobe InDesign: +++ Autodesk AutoCAD: ++++ Google SketchUP: ++++ Artlantis Studio: +++ Rhinoceros [w/ Grasshopper]: ++

Operating System Mac OS X ++++ Microsoft Windows +++

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Five years of architectural education has brought me to this point where I consider architecture at its essence an ensemble between the answer to two essential questions; what impact should architecture have on its surroundings, - both spatially and socially - and how should this impact be realized, formalized and materialized? Architecture as both a matter of performance and one of appearance.

This vision is revealed within this portfolio by means of a selection of eight projects that explore the domain of architecture and urban design, dealing with a variety of themes, scales and contexts and presenting various design approaches and methodologies. Each project seeks to respond to the essential questions in their own particular way. Context however constitutes a common aspect in all projects that cannot be neglected, since architecture is basically the adaptation of an existing environment. A profound understanding of the context generates a certain degree of obviousness.

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[8]Gaza©JordanIntroduction and exploration of a spatial frame for Gaza camp, its community and context.

Master thesis_part one [2013-2014] spatial research

[20]Gaza©Jordan Reshaping the border as a central space for encounters and interchange.

Master thesis_part two [2013-2014] urban design

[30]SMLXLFitting the alien through a sequence of varying public spaces.

1st master_2nd semester [2013] public space

[38]QuintessenceA fifth entity in-between.

1st master_1st semester [2012] urban landscape

[46]Weststation MolenbeekMasterplan

3rd bachelor_1st semester [2011] masterplan

[54]Weststation MolenbeekElaboration

3rd bachelor_2nd semester [2012] residential architecture

[66]Sportshall

2nd bachelor_2nd semester [2011] public architecture

[72]Hatching

Existenzweek [2013] temporary installation

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Gaza©JordanIntroduction and exploration of a spatial frame for Gaza camp, its community and context.

Master thesis_part one [2013-2014] spatial research

location Gaza camp, Jerash, Jordanduration Fieldwork_Aug-Oct[10 weeks] Project_Aug-Feb[7 months]

promotor Lieven De Cauterco-promotor Guido Geenenlocal promotor Ismael Sheikh Hassanreaders Bruno De Meulder, Muna Budeiri[UNRWA], Nurhan Abu Jidi

fellow students Jasper Aerts, Charlotte Dhollander, Valentine Gruwez

in collab with UNRWA_United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East_Camp Improvement Program_Jordan

other Thesis presented at the World Urbanism Seminar [June 2014] Thesis submitted by KULeuven for Archiprix International 2015 Available at:

http://issuu.com/lanclust/docs/gaza__jordan_book_i

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Gaza camp’s roofscape

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about

As one of the 64 Palestinian refugee camps in the Middle East, Gaza camp has undergone a profound transformation throughout its almost fifty years of existence. Departing from an emergency ‘tent settlement’ for 11500 refugees who fled from the Gaza Strip in 1967, the camp has over time gradually evolved into a dense hyper-congested urban entity, bringing along a wide range of problems. As a stain of urban fabric embedded within a rich landscape, the camp has neither become a space of exclusion nor isolation, but evolved towards a strong pole of attraction. Hence, the camp today can no longer be considered as merely the space within its initially defined perimeter, but as a wider Jordanian territory that became occupied by the ex-Gazan community.

This first part of the thesis is based on a ten-week long extensive fieldwork in Gaza camp and seeks to acknowledge and reinforce the latent potentials and possibilities of this human settlement in exile. Moreover, it tries to reveal the urgent problems associated with the refugees’ life in permanent temporariness, characterized by poverty and overcrowdedness. By means of both objective and explorative mappings, supplemented with a set of spatial readings, we have tried to distillate a spatial frame that constitutes the precondition of the camp’s future development which is translated into explorative design approaches that seek to tackle the camp’s current problems related to its increasing density, population growth and the lack of awareness towards its surrounding landscape.

Fieldwork in Gaza camp [Aug-Oct 2013]

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Jordan

Syria

Israel

Egypt

Ja�a

Be’er Sheva

RamlaYavne

Jordan Valley

Gaza

West Bank

Jerash

Amman

CityRefugee Camps in the Gaza Strip [1948] 1. Rafah 2. Khan Yunis 3. Deir al-Balah 4. Bureij 5. Nuseirat 6. Jabalia

Temporary Stop [1967]

1st refuge [1948]

2nd displacement[1967]

Saudi Arabia

dual displacement

The expulsion of those living in Gaza camp is twofold; their displacement from the Gaza Strip to Jerash as a result of the Six-Day War [1967] was preceded by their first refuge in 1948, caused by the establishment of the state of Israel.

In contrast to other Palestinian refugees residing in Jordan, those being displaced from the Gaza Strip in 1967 did not receive the Jordanian citizenship. They were merely granted a two-year temporary passport, without a national ID number nor citizenship rights. This lack of citizenship is translated into a wide range of legal restrictions, such as limitations on the right on ownership of property, restrictions on the participation in the labour market and limited access to government services.

gaza camp’s coordinates

As the camp’s location is considered to be the main factor in the acquirement of its own identity, the rich landscape of Jerash Governorate in which it is embedded has been extensively investigated. Gaza camp’s particular coordinates evoke various potentials; it is established along an ancient trade route from Jerusalem to Damascus, it is surrounded by numerous ancient remnants, ruins and fertile valleys, and it constitutes a hinge between the city of Jerash and the green highlands of Dibeen National Park. Nonetheless, the underlying topography appeared to be the major determinant of the establishment, evolution and current operation of this temporary settlement.

Gaza camp refugees’ dual displacement.

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Sakib

Raymun

Al-Kittah

Jerash city

DibeenForest

Irbid

Amman

Ajlun

Ruins of Gerasa

Section

SakibRaymun

Al Kittah

DibbeenForest

Gerasa

Current location Gaza campRuins and remnants

Topographic map of Jerash Governorate, supplemented with its surrounding cities and villages, poles of attractions and the mobility network. [grid unit 1km]

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historical evolution of the camp

The camp’s current physical appearance is mainly determined by two ‘logics of growth’: the decisions made by the authorities that govern the camp and the topography that acts as an underlying structure. Gaza camp’s surrounding landscape is defined by four valleys – or wadis –, of which three enter the camp and one covers it in the west. It was on the hilltops in-between these wadis that the camp initially was established. The central wadi divides the camp into two parts and holds the main road that connects the camp with the city of Jerash. The wadis in the north and the south of the camp on the other hand are rather green but neglected and therefore strongly contaminated agricultural areas. At the places where these two logics of growth collide, predominantly at the camp’s official border, a more organic tissue with interstitial spaces occurs.

Due to the complete saturation of the camp within its official perimeter, resulting in extreme overcrowdings, an increasing urban overspill has been occurring in eastwards direction, due to the presence of the deep wadi and the presence of the Jordanian village Al-Hadadah in the west. Hence, the location of the current centre at the western border of the camp and the growing urban overspill in opposite direction gives rise to problems regarding eccentricity and increased walking distances to basic facilities.

Gaza camp’s population, key decisions and their spatial impact. [First logic of growth]

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Second logic of growth: topography as the underlying structure and growth phases. [grid unit 100m]

Gaza camp [right] and its urban overspill [left].

‘68-’78

‘78-’92

’92-’13

walking distance 5 min

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tissue

Commissioned by UNRWA, we conducted a profound investigation on the camp’s tissue. Based on numerous visits to the camp, interviews and focus groups, we were able to make an objective ‘spatial profile’ of Gaza camp, consisting of objective mappings regarding to the camp’s residential neighbourhoods, facilities, commercial areas and the street hierarchy. Besides, an investigation was done regarding the evolution, organization and site-specific differences of the camp’s shelters, supplemented with an analysis regarding their problems concerning privacy, density, construction, daylight, etc.

Gaza camp neighbourhoods based on family names[yellow] and landmarks[green].

Investigation on shelters and building blocks.

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spatial readings

Subsequent to the extensive objective mappings, a set of spatial readings and interpretations were done that resulted in more explorative mappings, categorized according to several themes.

main road

Embedded within the central wadi, the main road carves through the middle of the camp and thereby divides it into two parts. Moreover, it connects the camp with the city of Jerash. Due to its strong topographical conditions, the road constitutes a distinctive, low-lying world on its own, dominated by men, traffic, labour and exchange. It can be considered as the main artery, the collector and divider, both for the supply of goods and the drain of waste products. Separated from the residential areas, it constitutes the interface between the camp and the outside world.

border conditions

Talking about camps, one cannot deny the importance of its border. It forms the perimeter of an extraterritorial space that represents the refugees’ struggle for the right of return and can be seen as a carrier of the refugee status and the refugees’ identity. However, its physical appearance cannot be considered as unambiguous, due to the collision of the two logics of growth. As a result of the occurring overspill, the status of the camp’s boundary has shifted from a membrane that holds the refugee population within the perimeter towards an element whose conditions varies in function of its location.

wadis

The north-eastern and southern wadis appear as valuable zones of ‘decompression’ amidst the densely urbanizing stain of fabric that Gaza camp constitutes. However, since these former agricultural areas have been considered as backsides for decades, these ‘green lungs’ nowadays suffer from heavy contaminations, caused by both solid waste and sewage.

Circulation patterns along the main road.

Varying spatial conditions along the camp’s border.

Southern wadi as a valuable though neglected ‘decompression’ zone.

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Gaza©Workshop [Feb 5-10th 2014]

Gaza©Workshop: towards a spatial frame

The first part of the thesis was concluded by the Gaza©Workshop at the KULeuven, for which our spatial research and readings served as the major input. During one week, a versatile team of UNRWA-representatives, KULeuven professors, professional architects, postgraduates, students and one resident of Gaza camp exchanged their knowledge. The aim of the workshop was to broaden perspectives and establish a vision for Gaza camp through research by design, rather than developing a sort of masterplan or fixed projects.

This approach led to the emergence and recognition of a spatial frame that consists of four figures integrating all the perceived observations, objectives and potentialities. The derived frame can be considered as a synthesis plan of numerous spatial conditions and constitutes four strong armatures that represent the way Gaza camp operates nowadays. Moreover, it can be used as a valuable design-tool and guideline for future interventions.

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Synthesis plan of the spatial frame. [major outcome of Gaza©Workshop]

main road ridge edge conditions tissue

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Gaza©JordanReshaping the border as a central space for encounters and interchange.

Master thesis_part two [2013-2014] urban design

location Gaza camp, Jerash, Jordanduration Fieldwork_Aug-Oct[10 weeks] Project_Mar-May[3 months]

promotor Lieven De Cauterco-promotor Guido Geenenlocal promotor Ismael Sheikh Hassanreaders Bruno De Meulder, Muna Budeiri[UNRWA], Nurhan Abu Jidi

fellow students Jasper Aerts

in collab with UNRWA_United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East_Camp Improvement Program_Jordan

other Thesis presented at the World Urbanism Seminar [June 2014] Thesis submitted by KULeuven for Archiprix International 2015 Available at:

http://issuu.com/lanclust/docs/gaza__jordan_book_ii

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about

The second part of the thesis seeks to explore the potentialities of the conceptual, though spatial framework by means of a physical translation into an architectural intervention. As a strategic project with a substantial impact on the camp’s future developments, it provides a thoughtful solution to a range of matters that are at stake nowadays. Firstly, the project introduces a new space of centrality, a counterweight to the current congested and eccentric located centre. Geographically located in the middle of the bigger Palestinian urbanization, constituted by the camp and its overspill, the project seeks to establish an interface between the camp and its surroundings. Secondly, the intervention endeavors to act as a catalyst in order to activate the camp’s neglected backsides, which constitute a valuable armature of deviant, open spaces trapped-in between the camp and its urban overspill. This chain of open

chambers, as varying edge conditions, lacks any financial or institutional interest that assures the permanency of this frame. By intervening at the intersection between this chain of openness and the strong economical main road, the latter can be deployed as the necessary catalyst through which a bigger belt of emptiness along the border can be activated. The project thus seeks to combine, exploit and reinforce the strength and capacities of both spatial frames.However, it is important to keep in mind that this proposal is not a fixed project intended to be ‘taken or left’, but rather endeavors to serve as a mediating plan, a tool for discussion between several actors and stakeholders involved in the management and policy of the camp. Hence, emanating from a profound reading of the camp’s and the site’s spatial logics, the project aims to reveal the latent possibilities of the site.

Intervention within the spatial frame.

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Located along the main road, the project allows the activation of a bigger belt of emptiness along the camp’s border. [grid unit 100m]

Section through the main road showing an overlap of atmospheres.

24The quoin

The stitch

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retaining structure24m W x 12m D x 3,5m Hchangeable roo�ngadditional storeys possible

4,75m W x 12m D x 3,5m H7 unitsopen gallerychangeable roo�ngadditional storeys possible

retaining structure24m W x 12m D x 3,5m Hunderground storage roomwith freight elevetor connected to upper storey(s)

retaining structure4,75W x 12m D x 3,5m H7 units

retaining structure24m W x 14m D x 7,3m Hadditional internal �oors possibleby means of concrete brackets

retaining structure10m W x 20m D x 7,3-4m Hauditorium

[inverted beams]4,75m W x 12m D x 3,5m H5 unitsopen gallerychangeable roo�ngadditional storeys possible

24m W x 14m D x 4,75m Hopen hall

reshaping the border

As an enriched civil technical intervention of two retaining walls, elaborated as an excessive dimensioned [infra-]structure, the project allows a reshaping of the landscape through which the series of open chambers along the eastern border will be reinforced, refined and defined. The appearance of this pair of minimalistic though very robust interventions results from the logics of the site, imposed by the underlying landscape. Made by on-site recuperated granulates according to a ‘cut-and-add principle’, these retaining walls can be considered as a sustainable carrier within which the temporal life of the camp can continue to thrive at its own pace. It constitutes a platform for changeable programs that can activate its surrounding openness. Thereby, the intervention anticipates the unknown future of the camp and its growing overspill.

quoin vs stitch Dissimilarities in the topographic conditions give rise to a different morphological approach of the two retaining walls; the quoin and the stitch, respectively as the northern and southern wall. The quoin acts as a cornerstone - a hook profile so to speak - for the northern part of the official camp. It re-establishes the silted connection between the north-eastern wadi and the central wadi, in which the main road is embedded. Moreover, the quoin keeps the camp’s fabric within its boundaries, creating open spaces at the geographical centre of the bigger urbanized area. The southern retaining wall on the other hand, merely retains the southern empty flank, while it simultaneously acts as a stitch. It establishes the lacking connection between the camp and its immediate overspill on the south-eastern hilltop.

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a variety of contrasting spaces

The two retaining walls reinforce the existing spatial conditions of the present open space into a set of clearly demarcated chambers. The northern chamber is elaborated as an intimate, multi-leveled garden which consists of rather defined spaces which can simultaneously operate separately. In contrast to the intimate garden, an exposed urban plaza between both retaining walls can be considered as an undefined plain which can be flooded by a numerous amount of activities, whether related to its adjacent buildings or as an entity on its own. Finally, the southern flank presents itself as a ‘Palestinian greenscape’ amidst the camp’s southern tissue, providing a collection of shaded spaces of stillness and slow passageways, elevated above the fuss of the plaza.

Within the thickness of the retaining walls, these three contrasting atmospheres overlap resulting into several interesting typologies that can serve as carriers for new innovative programs and activities, which can vary throughout the course of time.

overlap of atmospheres

The branch of the quoin facing the main road can be considered a stacked collection of diverse typologies, strongly related to its adjacent outdoor spaces. Thereby, it is capable to absorb a variety of possible fill-in scenario’s: a vocational school, a wedding hall, a camp restaurant, classrooms, and so on. The northward oriented branch makes the transition from a building into a landscape through the integration of an auditorium within the existing topographical conditions of the site.

The stitch exploits the interesting overlap between the southern residential hilltop and the arterial main road, resulting in an attractive commercial place that acts as a counter-balance to the camp’s current eccentric market. Goods, food and animals can be supplied from the bigger context of Jerash Governorate through the artery, while women can easily reach the stitch due to its integration in the camp’s residential network.

Section through the stitch that constitutes the overlap between the Palestinian ‘greenscape’ [left] and the urban plaza [right].

Section through the quoin’s northward oriented branch that constitutes a gradual transition from a builing into landscape.

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0 5 10 25

Roofplan + section through the alley along the quoin.

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Open bazaar. [Stitch, level +1]

Retail along urban plaza. [Stitch, level 0]

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Vocational school along main road. [Quoin, level 0]

Alley along quoin connecting main road with the wadi, passing the auditorium, the intimite garden and the playground.

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SMLXLFitting the alien through a sequence of varying public spaces.

1stmaster_2ndsemester [2013] public space

location Brussels Courthouseduration Feb-May[4 months]

mentors Leo Van Broeck, Yuri Gerrits

fellow students Jasper Aerts, Bram Van Sever, Frederique Vermeyen

phases part one_urban analysis[collective] part two_project elaboration[individual]

other Exhibited at ASRO open studio exhibition [June 2013]

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smlxl fitting the alien through a sequence of varying public spaces

Due to its scale and implantation, the megalomaniac courthouse constitutes a distinctive alien within the fabric of Brussels innercity. While its dome rises above the skyline, it has its pedestal on the edge between the ‘upper’ and ‘lower’ city. Its current state as being an under-used mastodont has given rise to numerous design proposals [cfr. Brussels Courthouse Contest: Imagine The Future] Moreover, its adjacent public spaces are under-used themselves and constitute the focus of this

assignment: a spatial rethinking of the spaces that define the interfaces of the building, the edges between inside-outside, building-city, private-public.

In our reversed approach we did not try to adapt these interfaces according to a fictitious future scenario for the courthouse – as was the aim of this assignment-, but we’ve explored how the building could be re-thought according to its present surrounding context.

part one

Introduction of a sequence of varying spaces responding to the adjacent fabric’s grain size.

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S m a r o l l e n M w y n a n t s t r a a t L w o l s t r a a t XL p o e l a e r t p l e i n

Salles des Pas-Perdus XL

Niveau Inferieur L

Base M Base S

Section from Poelaertplein to Wynantstraat showing the correlation between the interior spaces and the adjacent street levels.

As a pivot, the courthouse constitutes a key figure in its surroundings, consisting of an urban fabric whose grain size diminishes the more the geographical level descends: XL, L, M, S. A similar grain division can be found at the interior spaces spread over the four stacked storeys, the four adjacent streets. Hence, the interior bulk of the courthouse can be considered as a porous sponge that however does not connect with its adjacent outdoor spaces. The correlation between the interior spaces and the surrounding fabric offers the opportunity to expand the building outwards -or draw the city inwards - and provide the needed connections through which the courthouse can function as a public

form follows fabric

passage that bridges the topographic differences of its layered surroundings. Simultaneously, these interventions have the ability to organize new activities through which the courthouse itself remains an attractive destination. This is translated into a sequence of varying public spaces, each responding to the characteristics of their context though imposing their own spatial logics. As organizing spaces, they constitute the lacking interfaces between building and city through which the courthouse can function as a machine, a hinge between the ‘upper’ and ‘lower’ city, a continuation of the city inside the building.

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Section through the ramps at the MiniemenstraatDETAIL

smlxlpart two

The set of ramps departing from the Miniemenstraat bridges the considerable height difference between the Brussels ‘upper’ and ‘lower’ city. Both visually as spatially, these ramps possess little quality, since they are mostly covered under parked vehicles. Departing from the urban Poelaertplein, the ramps make their descent running down into the old district of the Marollen. This descent constitutes a great and monumental figure which morphologically does not fit within the ‘small scale’ fabric that characterizes this district. Therefore, the proposal seeks to transform this monumentality into a smaller grain size by making incisions perpendicular to the ramps, while maintaining the walls. As such, a sequence open patios alternated by covered spaces is obtained, due to the vaults located underneath the ramps.

These spaces hold the potential to extend the commercial activities that characterize the Marollen district up to the plinth of the Palace of Justice, turning this ‘non-place’ that the ramps constitute nowadays into a world on its own, a distinctive entity within the city, on the verge between upper and lower city, dominated by bars, market stalls and retail alternated with open or enclosed patios. This sequence is organized by elaborating the ‘cutting planes’ as folding panels in order to obtain a hierarchy in circulation. During the day, the various patios are linked with each other by a continuous market that connects at several places with the ‘inferior’ ground floor of the Palace. At night, only a shortcut between the Marollen district and the Poelaertplein remains publicly accessible by means of an elevator or staircase.

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detail

The entire intervention is elaborated according to the principal of cut and add. The surfaces of the excavated parts are covered by prefabricated panels in white concrete, which introduces a strong contrast between the intervention and the existing remnants. The cutting planes are elaborated as double-walled folding panels, of which the outer one consist of a white-painted expanded metal mesh and the inner one of stainless steel plate. Due to the semitransparency of the expanded metal mesh and the reflecting characteristics of the stainless steel, in combination with lighting elements in-between both plates, the patios are covered with a soft glow of indirect light.

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Vaulted space underneath the ramps for commercial purposes.

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Incisions in the walls offer connections with the Miniemenstraat

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QuintessenceA fifth entity in-between.

1st master_1st semester [2012] urban landscape

location City gate Bodart, Leuvenduration Sep-Dec[4 months]

mentors Guido Geenen, Yuri Gerrits, Jan Vermeulen

fellow students Jasper Aerts, Bram Van Sever, Frederique Vermeyen

other Presented at Student Lectures, STUK, Leuven [March 2013] Exhibited at ASRO open studio exhibition [June 2013]

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about

This studio focussed on the development of concrete strategies and a spatial model for the transformation of a comprehensible piece of urban tissue, located at the node where the Dijle-valley crosses the ring road and enters the city of Leuven. After the Stationsomgeving, the Phillipssite and the Vaartkom, the ‘Stadspoort Bodart’ is the last of four major regeneration projects in Leuven that urgently requires a vision at a finer resolution. It constitutes an undefined, disordered piece of landscape where banality prevails, fostered by pragmatism and voluntarism, though shaped by forces underneath: water, topography, geography.

The design phase was preceded by a profound research conducted by the entire studio, approaching the site from two entirely different perspectives, the ring and the valley. Within each approach, four different themes were tackled: history, mobility, tissue&objects, space&landscape.

Ferraris map of Leuven[1777], clearly showing the Dijle-valley and the city’s ramparts as two dominant spatial figures. The ramparts have been replaced by the current ringroad.

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a fifth entity in-between

Today’s city of Leuven has grown outside its initial boundaries in two different ways. In the east, the urban fabric continues outside the ring, which caused this half of the ring road to be transformed into ‘the Vesten’, a more pedestrian friendly, easy crossable road and located amidst the dense urban fabric. In the west, new developments arose as clusters that are grouply plugged onto the ring road, transforming it into ‘the Singel’, a car-based demarcation of the city’s edge. These two systems meet in the south where the Dijle-valley crosses the ring, though they don’t really touch. We see that the fast characteristics of the Singel continue along the Koning Boudewijnlaan, which connects the city with the E314 and E40 highway, while the residential charasteristics of the Vesten can be continued along the Kardinaal Mercierlaan by improving the connections between the Heverlee and the Arenbergpark. Hence, our site of focus can be considered as an entity in-between four spatial systems; single, vesten, inner-city and park.

-quintessence-

(In classical and medieval philosophy) a fifth substance in addition to the four elemtents, thought to compose the heavenly bodies and to be latent in all things.

[Oxford Dictionary]

Four spatial systems: the singel, the vesten, the inner-city and the park.

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Site of focus: a no man’s land made up of an unstructured collection of infrastructure, scattered programs and leftover spaces.

urban landscape

Due to the site’s location amidst the four spatial systems, we introduced an open, flexible plain as a fifth entity in-between. A rather undefined piece of landscape, which can be flooded by each of the four systems whenever there is a need for it. As such, it can serve one day as a car park for the incoming traffic along the Koning Boudewijnlaan, while the other day it can host large-scale events for which there is no space within the inner-city. When abandoned, it constitutes a valuable emptiness within the dilating fabric. Notwithstanding its flexibility and its latent qualities, the emptiness needs a certain level of hierarchy in order to operate properly. Besides the existing natural cracks of the rivers Voer and Dijle and a present height difference, we added a set of new cracks with altering heights in order to structure the emptiness and organize the use of it by different activities at the same time. Through pulling the cracks together at specific places by corten-steel ‘folies’, a variety of spaces are obtained; large open plains as well as small and more intimate areas. The cracks divide the plain, while the folly’s bind it back together. As such, it constitutes a strong, recognizable figure that serves as a platform for the undefined, the unpredictable to take place.

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rivers and height differencesas natural cracks

addition of manmade cracks+ height differences

organisation of spaces based onrelation intensities

maintenance of bicycle connectionsthroughout the landscape

open/dense green spaces

open/dense paved spaces

An open and flexible plain as a fifth entity in-between the four systems.

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[1] [2] [3]

[1] A pedestrian boulevard starts from the Naamsepoort and flanks several shops. A corten-steel folie serves as a busstop.

[2] A multifunctional plaza in front of the stadium of OHL, flooded with supporters during soccer game.

[3] Multifunctional plaza in front of the stadium of OHL, gives room for all kinds of large-scale events.

fragments of the quintessence

Section through the site along the ringroad with the fragments indicated

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[4] [5] [6]

[4]A sportsfield in front of the Sportkot site along the river, flanked by a

tribune on its bank.

[5]An undefined, flexible plain gives room for several large-scale events that

are unimaginable within the city.

[6]When abandoned, the site serves as an empty urban landscape on its

own, a space of emptiness between the four systems.

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Weststation Molenbeek3rd bachelor_1st semester [2011] masterplan

location Molenbeek, Brusselsduration Sep-Dec[4 months]mentors Goedele Desmedt, Erik Van Daele, Han Vandevyvere

fellow students Evelien Lambrechts, Liese Van Aert, Frederique Vermeyen

other Exhibited at ASRO open studio exhibition [June 2012]

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Research on the stacking of housing into compact residential units that structure the urban fabric. Design of a masterplan for circa 100 housing units of different typologies combined with the program of a public fresh food market.

WESTSTATIONMOLENBEEK m a s t e r p l a n

about

The turbulent history of Sint-Jans-Molenbeek evolved from a rural suburb of Brussel towards a densely urbanized conglomerate of residential units amongst the remnants of a past industry. A high population density, partly due to a high number of migrants, in combination with a lack of public spaces results in a poor living quality.

The triangularly shaped site is located on the verge between the new and old part of Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, where the urban fabric is characterized by enclosed building blocks with remnants of an extinct industrial period. At the head of the site, the presence of the Weststation contributes to a busy traffic junction and a rather unsafe connection between both parts of the municipality.

Site of focus separated from the Weststation by a busy traffic junction.

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WESTSTATIONMOLENBEEK m a s t e r p l a n

masterplan

The presence of the Ninoofsesteenweg asks for a buffer volume that screens of the site from the fuss of this road. By breaching this volume, a flow of pedestrians can be achieved on the site. The further scattering of volumes allows the emergence of various public spaces with each their own characteristics, atmospheres and mutual relations.

By working with separate volumes and not following the enclosed building block typology, the design emphasizes on the various open spaces that emerge between the volumes, each with their own characteristics and functions: the station plaza, the market, the central plaza, the playground, the collective garden and the suspended deck. The traffic junction is avoided by diving underneath the road and providing a direct underground connection with the Weststation. As such, an easier and safer connection is made between new and old Sint-Jans-Molenbeek.

Weststation [front] and empty site [back].

Manipulation of buffervolume.

Conceptual longitudinal section.

50 Volumetry

Longitudinal section

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section Collective Garden

section Central Plaza

section Market and Deck

section Station Plaza

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Weststation Molenbeek3rd bachelor_2nd semester [2012] residential architecture

location Molenbeek, Brusselsduration Feb-May[4 months]mentors Goedele Desmedt, Yuri Gerrits, Han Vandevyvere

fellow students Frederique Vermeyen

other Exhibited at ASRO open studio exhibition [June 2012]

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WESTSTATIONMOLENBEEK e l a b o r a t i o n

Further elaboration of a cluster of housing units from the master plan. Focus on the research for an attractive alternative for a high density through the stacking and linking of residential units in a typological broadening of the existing housing patrimony.

about

The second phase of the design consist of the elaboration of a cluster of circa 40 residential units spread over the three volumes at the head of the site. The project searches for ways of living that can profit from the dynamics of the market but simultaneously provide quietness. By treating the route from the public domain towards the front doors with extra attention, the design focusses on a setting where spontaneous encounters can take place. The obtained height difference, as a result of the new connection with the Weststation, is gradually bridged by a slow route that runs over the site, supplemented by several fast shortcuts and staircases. Besides, the public route is activated by a variety of public facilities such as the fresh food market, public toilets, an information office and a commercial zone that continues along the Ninoofsesteenweg. As such, the passers-by go through a sequence of varying open spaces, each with their own characteristics.

Longitudinal terrain section

Public routes: slow flows versus fast shortcuts.

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WESTSTATIONMOLENBEEK e l a b o r a t i o n

Head of the site

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Level +1: three residential buildings surrounding the collective ‘skygarden’.

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Section bb’

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l i v i n g a t t h e s k y g a r d e n

The suspended deck functions both as a canopy for the market and a ‘sky garden’ for the inhabitants of the adjacent buildings. With regard to materials and structure, this collective garden constitutes a connecting platform between the three volumes, which are each elaborated with a different. As an autonomous cold structure, the garden is organized according to a grid of steel beams, which results in a patchwork of different materials: paved paths, vegetation, sunken seating areas, water ponds and openings that allow a relation with the underlying market area. This patchwork combined with the orientation of the units’ entrances at this collective area makes the ‘sky garden’ a dynamic, vibrant place. Each of the three adjacent volumes is elaborated with a different façade material in order to give each building its own identity.

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Sportshall2ndbachelor_2ndsemester [2011] public architecture

location Rijschoolstraat, Leuvenduration Feb-May[4 months]mentors Bart Bomans

other Exhibited at ASRO open studio exhibition [June 2011]

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1. terrace2. bar3. kitchen4. storage5. reception6. staffroom

level 07. guard8. wc9. changing room10. first aid11. technical room

level +11. polyvalent hall2. storage

Section aa’ Section bb’

s p o rt s h a l lr i j s c h o o l s t r a a t l e u v e n

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about

The analysis of the site revealed two major aspects that had to be tackled. Firstly, the connection between the street and the primary school that is located behind the site had to be maintained, but has a suffocating appearance nowadays. Secondly, the monumentality of the existing facade is out of proportion and its closed appearance hides what’s behind it and prevents any relation between the building and the plaza in front of it.

The main objective was to maintain the existing program of a sportshall, but provide a more open design that relates with its surrounding context of the plaza and the alley. The current appearance of the former military ‘Rijschool’ consists of a neoclassical facade that doesn’t correlate with the volume that is behind it. Throughout the

decades, the building has been the carrier for a variety of programs and due to several adaptions it has lost most of its historical value. Hence, the design proposal started off with a tabula rasa.

Elaborated according to a box in a box principle, the new sports hall consist of two volumes: a closed, rectangular, concrete inner box, which holds the sports hall itself, is surrounded by a complete glass facade. The space in-between both boxes serves as circulation zone. The transparent membrane provides several views towards the sports hall through which the relation between inside-outside is enhanced and the adjacent outer space receives a more open feeling. The wall that demarcates the site in the north-east is expanded to become a oblong volume that holds all serving spaces.

Section cc’

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hatchingexistenz [2012-2013] temporary installation

location Stella Artois bottling plant, Leuvenduration March 17-22th 2013, Existenzweek

in collab with Gijs Van Vaerenbergh_Frederique Vermeyen

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about

Hatching is a temporary installation within the frame of the ExistenzWeek, the annual major event organized by the cultural organization ‘Existenz’, 1st master students at the KULeuven. During one week, an abandoned location in the city of Leuven is transformed into an inspiring setting for all kinds of workshops, lectures, exhibitions and parties.

Resulting from a collaboration between Existenz and the multidisciplinary design practice Gijs Van Vaerenbergh, Hatching translates the pictorial complexity of two-dimensional drawings into a ‘spatial drawing’ against the background of the monumental concrete structure of the former Stella Artois Bottelarij. The playful combination of scale, transparancy and colour generates a continuously changing image and explores the field of tension between drawing and architecture.

As being part of Existenz, my role consisted of the co-design of the installation, the search for sponsors and the construction of the installation.

Footage of the construction can be found on:

http://vimeo.com/63091616

© Hannelore Veelaert

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© Hannelore Veelaert

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© Hannelore Veelaert

Last update: Aug 2014